Theory of Two
by Relezite
Summary: After the failed wedding Cologne arrives and offers a final solution to Ranma's fiancee problems, but is it ever that simple?
1. Prologue

Prologue

  
  
The boat rocked and swayed with the beat of the waves, sending Mousse into another fit of nausea, which he promptly relieved over the side of the vessel. "I'll centainly add this to my list of weapons to throw at Ranma..." He joked weakly in Chinese, before the boat pitched again and he pitched with it.  
  
"Dammit!" He cursed to no one in particular.  
  
It had been like this since they had cast off from China. He had spent most of the last three days hunched over the starboard side. His sleep was fitful, and never lasted very long. Now, heavy-eyed and weak, he prayed that trip would end soon, or an exceptionally strong wave would toss him over. He sighed and slumped onto the floor of the deck as the water settled for the time being.  
  
"Mousse like duck with no water," a voice spoke in Japanese behind him.  
  
"Shampoo!" Mousse cried in delight as he turned to hug his beloved fiance.  
  
With more calm than normal, Shampoo extracted her bonbori from Mousse's skull.  
  
"Shampoo try to help duck-boy. Maybe duck-boy no want keep stomach in body then." She turned to leave.  
  
"No, wait! Shampoo!" He leapt up and reached for her. Suddenly, Shampoo made a complete one-eighty and popped a pill into Mousse's open mouth. Startled, both at the pill in his mouth, and the sudden closeness of his beloved, he swallowed.  
  
"There. Is motion pill. Will help, but not strong enough on own to stop." With a quick motion she snatched Mousse's glasses from his face and slipped them away...somewhere, Mousse couldn't really see where. "Better duck-boy is blind then duck-boy is empty, see?" Was she...smiling? He couldn't tell, but he knew better than to get excited. Nerima had taught him a stronger margin of self control. He sat on the deck, back against the side so that he wouldn't accidently walk overboard. The world was a colored blur to him at the moment.  
  
"Thank you Shampoo, but why did you wait so long to give me that?"  
  
"Shampoo forgot Shampoo had it. Much on Shampoo's mind." Her voice got sadder.  
  
Ranma. He looked to where he imagined the pigtailed youth was standing, though he could only guess.  
  
"Much on Mousse's mind too," he said without thinking.  
  
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Ryouga watched the two from atop the boat's only cabin. Without getting up, he turned back to the shogi board and his opponent, the ship's resident panda bear. Minutes had passed, but Genma still had not made a move, though he was staring at the board fiercely. Ryouga thought that Genma had been acting oddly since they left China. An unlucky wave early in the trip had activated his curse, but instead of being frustrated, he seemed relieved. It was a well known fact, even to Ryouga, that Ranma's father had a habit of changing into his panda form to escape responsibility, but it never lasted this long...and he never slept cursed of his own accord. But, here it was day three and he had ardently refused every offer of hot water. Odd indeed.  
  
What further worried him was that Genma was a vastly superior shogi player than himself, trouncing him easily in their every game. Yet, he would lapse into these periods where it would take an hour just to make an early game move. Ryouga didn't mind much though, needing every second he could just to give the old man a fight.  
  
When it became evident that Genma had no intention of moving for a while, Ryouga shifted his attention parallel to that of Mousse's; to the stern of the ship, and the boy staring into endless ocean. For once, he pitied his rival. He had never had to kill someone before, so he couldn't relate, but it was Ranma so it was probably his fault anyways...  
  
His attention snapped at the sound of someone coming up the ladder to join them.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
Akane poked her head over the cabin, spotting Ryouga and Mr. Saotome in panada form playing a game of shogi on top. Ryouga met her gaze, and acknowledged her with a wave, but Mr. Saotome didn't shift his attention from the board at all until she walked over and took a seat next to Ryouga. Hugging her knees, she glanced at Ranma for a moment and then turned her eyes to Ryouga, who had returned to watching Ranma.  
  
"Um...Ryouga. Is he going to be ok?" Akane asked.  
  
Ryouga was startled, "Huh!? Why should I..er, how should I know?" He laughed nervously. Mr. Saotome looked up from the board at them for a second, but looked down again when he saw Akane looking.  
  
"Well...I've never been able to tell what he's thinking, I'm not very good at reading him, you know...I've always just set him off if I try. You two set each other off all the time, but you seem to be trying to most of the time, so I just thought that...you know, you might know..." She was getting worried, if Ryouga didn't know then she would spend the rest of the trip clueless.  
  
"Er, I...Ranma, he had to kill someone, you know...to save your life."  
  
"Saffron," she said with an edge, "but he was reborn as an infant, I don't see the problem."  
  
He looked at the floor, clearly reluctant to point out his rival's honor, "He...didn't know that though. When he did..it, he thought he was killing him for good. He was ready to do t-t-t-hat f-f-f-for..." He cut off, eyes completely focused on a panel of wood in front of his legs.  
  
"For what, Ryouga, what? Please, I need to know," Akane pleaded, having gotten her hopes up too far to quit now.  
  
Ryouga sighed and slowly met her eyes. "For you, Akane. He killed a man for you. Didn't even think twice about it at the time."  
  
Akane froze. She knew, but she hadn't understood. Of course Ranma couldn't have known about Saffron's reincarnation ability, but he killed him anyways. For her. To save her life. _Does he really care that much?_ Her lip quivered, Ryouga saw this and grabbed her hand. She stiffened.  
  
"Akane, you know I hate Ranma for a lot of things, but saving you is not one of them. What he did was right, Saffron was evil. I wish he hadn't been reborn at all," they both looked to the floor for a second, then Akane got up and darted back down the ladder.  
  
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Ranma stared out at the ocean, as he had spent the entire evening doing. For the millionth time he contemplated jumping, ending it all and absolving all the worries about his sins; Akane, and the other girls he strung along all these months. But, he had already taken too many lives. The sun was setting, and the water had become dark, more suited to his mood.  
  
He was aware that he was the target of a few eyes behind him. Normally, this would have bothered him endlessly. Now, he just couldn't manage to care.  
  
"Ranma?" A meek voice came from his left.  
  
He turned slowly, and met Akane's worried gaze. She was the reason he couldn't jump, though he would never admit it. At least she was alive. Someone had to die, but at least it wasn't her.  
  
Akane put on a weak smile. "Ranma? You aren't mad at me...are you?"  
  
He turned back to the ocean. "No."  
  
"Ranma...come on, let's talk...I need to talk, y-you need to talk, let's go to the cabin, please Ranma?" he looked back at her, almost surprised she was still there, and her eyes shone with the need.  
  
He sighed. "Fine." his stomach made a noise, "Is there anything to eat in there?"  
  
"Yep. Cooked it myself," obviously a bit more relieved at Ranma's consent, she was smiling genuinely this time. Ranma melted.  
  
"You cooked it? I'm not that hungry!" He joked and braced for the mallet. It never came.  
  
"You jerk," her smile never left her lips as she dragged him towards the cabin. She was behaving a little wierd today.  
  
---------------------------------------------------  
  
"You weren't kidding, you did make this!" Ranma yelped as he eyed the dish of yakisoba in front of him.  
  
Her smile widened. It was great to see Ranma acting so normal after three melancholy days, though, she was a bit angry with him for speaking before even trying the food. "Oh? How'd you guess?"  
  
"Parts of it are still moving!" He looked panicked.  
  
"Well, yeah. The dish called for raw fish, so there they are, see?" She snatched one with her chopsticks and motioned for Ranma to open his mouth, "Come on, you haven't eaten all day I know," she moved the fish closer to Ranma's mouth.  
  
"Eaag! Uh, uh, let's talk, huh? You said you wanted to talk, so let's talk," he pushed the fish back down onto the plate.  
  
Akane held back her initial mallet onslaught with some effort and a scowl. Ranma saw this and backed up just slightly. She decided her cooking wasn't worth alienating Ranma again. "Yeah, Ranma are you upset that you had to kill someone back there?" There was China.  
  
He balked.  
  
"Ranma? Are you?"  
  
He resigned. "Yeah, I ain't supposed to decide things like that, you know? Life and death. I'm nothing but a lousy murderer now," he sounded really depressed.  
  
Without a word she crept up to him on hands and knees. He backed up, but he was in a corner and had nowhere to escape to. She stopped, placing her face inches from his. He was breathing heavy and making sporadic eye contact. She almost let out a laugh.  
  
"Why do you have to be worried all the time?" She said bluntly.  
  
He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Maybe I like being worried."  
  
"That's a shame," she said, getting a little closer, sending Ranma into further fits of hyperventilation.  
  
"W-w-w-why's that?" He stammered.  
  
Her grin broke out, "Because you're really cute when you smile," he froze, absolutely stunned in place and she leaned in and gave him a short kiss. "Gotcha," she said as she left the cabin, closing the door behind her.  
  
He sat staring after her for five minutes before he picked the fish out of the yakisoba and ate it just to see if he was dreaming.  
  
By Relezite  
*******************************  
  
Author's Note: I've finished the first chapter already, but it might change, either way that'll be up in a couple of days at most.  
Do me a favor and tell me your thoughts in the reviews.  
Brutal honesty please.  
My AIM screenname is **Endflare**, talk to me! 


	2. Circle

**Circle**

  
Weeks passed, and the kiss had been all but forgotten as Ranma Saotome pouted in his room.  
  
"Stupid Pop! Arrangin' my marriage like that! I'm glad it was crashed! I don't need no one decidin' important things like that for me," he growled at no one in particular. His room was empty except for his futon, dresser, and the empty bag of potato chips he had angrily devoured. Frustrated, he tore the bag into shreds.  
  
"And who asked anyone to stop it anyways?" He calmed down a bit. _Was I really ready to do it?_  
  
There was a knock at the door. "May I come in?" the voice of his mother asked gently.  
  
"Yeah, sure, come on in," he grabbed his ankles and went into a stretch, fully prepared to not listen to a thing anyone had to say about anything today.  
  
Nodoka entered the room, quietly shutting the door in her wake. She knelt, sitting on her ankles in front of Ranma. For a minute she just watched him and said nothing. This made Ranma nervous. He noticed she didn't have her katana on her, something he had never seen her without.  
  
"Mom?" he said, concerned at her silence. He finished his stretch and looked straight at her.  
  
Tears burst from her eyes, and she collapsed, completely kowtowing to Ranma. She was shaking hard from the crying as she reached out and held his foot with both hands.  
  
Ranma was in shock. He had never seen his mother act this way before, blubbering like a punished child. She had always been the calm, cool, voice of reason in the Tendou-Saotome mengarie. He rose up and frantically tried to pull his mother to her feet, but she wouldn't budge. "Come on now, cut that out," he said, vicariously beginning to feel tears in his eyes as well.  
  
"I'm s-so sorry, R-Ranma," she started moaning in between sobs, "I just, I j-just, I just wanted..." She broke off into deeper heaving sobs. Ranma was completely panicked. He had absolutely no idea what to do. With Akane, it was easy, because she almost never let him see her crying. Now he was just clueless as he stared bewildered at his mother's shaking form.  
  
"Mom, come on, get up now, you're really wierding me out here..." he said, adopting the sitting position Nodoka had taken when she first entered.  
  
Slowly, Nodoka gathered herself together and stopped crying, she lifted herself up and met Ranma's worried gaze. Her eyes were red from the tears, and she looked many years older than she was, but that wasn't the reason for Ranma's sudden face vault into the floor.  
  
She was smiling from ear to ear.  
  
"Thanks for letting me cry, I really needed that!" Her eyes shone anew with mirth as she took in Ranma's confusion. He resolved on the spot that he would never understand women, barring that he had never claimed to understand anything about them before.  
  
"Mom, wa...nevermind, what did you want to talk about?"  
  
She got serious, but the smile failed to _completely_ vanish from her lips, "Ranma dear, I came to apologize to you...for my involvement in the wedding. Noone should force you to do something you're not ready for." She bowed her head. Ranma was afraid she was going to cry again, so he spoke fast.  
  
"Naw...I mean, that's OK mom, it's Pop's fault I'm in this mess anyways, not yours."  
  
She looked at him again, this time more sharply, causing Ranma to blink. "You think so, do you? I'll have you know your father was almost content to let the marriage wait until you were ready! That is, until I showed up. When I discovered you had been engaged, I just got so excited about the prospect of grandchildren that I forgot to consider your feelings. I refueled your father's passions any way I could think of, so...while you blame your father, I've really been pulling the strings for quite a while," she kept his gaze this time, "can you ever forgive me?"  
  
Completely shocked by the sudden revelation, Ranma momentarily conteplated not forgiving his mother. However, two things stopped that train of thought before it ever left the station. First, if he didn't do it, she would never be able to forgive herself, and probably do something crazy like commiting _seppuku_. And secondly, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't be angry with her for anything, probably because he had spent so much of youth without her. He smiled, "of course I forgive you mom, but I can't believe Pop was completely innocent."  
  
Nodoka laughed, and Ranma's tension dissolved, "Naw, he actually was really easy to persuade."  
  
They laughed for a while, then let silence hang for a minute before Nodoka broke it.  
  
"Ranma, why did you let the wedding stop?" She posed, the mirth gone and her face unreadable.  
  
"Huh? I was...but you said..." Nodoka interrupted him.  
  
"You are, in many ways, exactly like your father was at your age. Probably as he still is. He was never..." She was stopped by an explosion that rocked the house and threw her to the ground. Ranma was up in an instant helping her to her feet.  
  
"You all right mom?"  
  
"Yeah, heh, better go find out what that was," she almost looked almost dissapointed, but Ranma dismissed it as he bolted downstairs.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Akane sulked. Such was her trademark. She was not, however, alone this time.  
  
"I can't _believe_ that Ranma," Nabiki screamed, pacing around Akane's room. "Everytime I think he's a sure bet, he outdoes himself! Argh!" She was pulling on her hair, probably at all the cash she lost at the wedding. She had set up a betting pool against the wedding stopping. It had been a _solid_ wager.  
  
"Nabiki!" Kasumi used a sharper than normal tone, she was sitting next to Akane on the bed, "This is not about you, or your money, we've got Akane to think about now." She wrapped a gentle arm around Akane's shoulders.  
  
Akane hardly noticed either of them, her mind was still trapped in the events that had ruined the wedding.  
  
_As she stepped cautiously out of the changing room Kasumi gasped and dropped the boquet she had been preparing by throwing her hands in the air wildly. Nodoka just smiled and nodded her approval. Blushing furiously, Akane spun slowly around to show the whole dress off.  
  
Nervously, she asked, "It doesn't look too bad does it?"  
  
Kasumi, recovering from her shock, clapped her hands together loudly. "Oh, Akane! You look absolutely radiant!" she exclaimed emphatically, rushing over to adjust a few of the frills.  
  
"Well now," Nodoka looked thoughtful, "That should certainly stun Ranma long enough to prevent him from escaping." A whimsical smile spanned her face, but the gleam in her eyes told Akane it hadn't been all joke. Something was itching at her chest, and she shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Mrs. Saotome...was this really nessecary?" She hesitantly shifted the wonderbra under her blouse. She wanted to get rid of it, it was awkward and looked unnatural, but Nodoka had insisted that she wear it.  
  
"It's all part of the effect dearie, now gather yourself, your father will be here shortly to walk you down the aisle." She got the same starry-eyed glaze in her eyes that Genma and her dad would get whenever they talked about their children marrying. Akane sighed. There was a quiet *ratta tat* at the door, announcing Soun's arrival.  
  
When Nodoka opened the door, Suon could only stare at his youngest daughter as he gathered his jaw from where it lie on the ground. Akane got angry.  
  
"Come'on daddy! It's not that bad!"  
  
Soun didn't say anything, but motioned for Akane to take his arm. Akane, now feeling utterly insecure, took it slowly and trailed slightly behind her father, sighing gently as they rounded the corner into the dojo-made-chapel. The scene before her took her breath away in a gasp and a blush.  
  
The dojo that she had spent so many hours of her young life training in, and in more recent months, destroying cinder blocks in frustration in, had been totally transformed. White silk was spread across the ceiling like a canopy of snow falling from the heavens but not quite reaching the ground. The ground itself had been completely covered by thick black carpet, and not a trace of the worn wood floor showed through. The walls were covered in ornate portraits of the Saotome and Tendo ancestors. Akane gave a sad smile as she saw the one that displayed her dead mother, but almost laughed as she noticed right next to it a woman that looked a great deal like Genma, complete the with white bandanna on her head.  
  
She was most stunned, however, at the extraordinary number of people there, sitting in folded-out chairs on either side of the aisle, watching her with great interest. Some of the people she didn't know, but she was more than familiar with most of them, and more familiar with some of them than she really cared to be. Pantyhose Taro was the first she noticed, sitting crosslegged in the back, looking around ostensibly as if bored. She sighed in relief when she couldn't find Happosai in the crowd anywhere. Next, she saw the Gambler King poke his wide nose over some people to get a glance at her, smiling broadly as he succeeded at something. That unnerved her even further. Something didn't click about the attention she was getting from some of the less savory guests. The thoughts drifted from her head though as she looked to the alter, which was getting steadly closer.  
  
To the left, Nabiki stood, a patient expression on her face changing to surprise as she saw Akane. Her blush deepened at the embarassment she was trying to mask. Genma stood to the right, beaming much in the same manner as his wife had, only a little stronger and more obvious in his smile. Both of them, however, faded into the wood-work when she saw Ranma.  
  
He stood tall by his father, dressed in a bright white tuxedo with matching pants and black dress shoes. These were complimented by a black ribbon tied into his hair at the base of his pigtail trailing to the middle of his back. Akane almost stopped walking when she took him all in, Ranma, on the other hand looked like a deer caught in the headlights, staring wide-eyed at Akane as she advanced. He looked ready to bolt at the slightest noise.  
  
Before she knew it, she was facing him opposite the alter and her blush had gotten too strong to let her look at anyone straight. The minister she hadn't noticed cleared his throat and spoke in a voice Akane immediatly recognized.  
  
"Who is it that gives away the bride?" Mousse asked gently. Soun bowed deeply and replied.  
  
"I do," he said, much calmer than normal.  
  
Mousse addressed the crowd and adjusted his glasses, "We are gathered here today..." He was cut off abruptly as a chair flew across the room and collided with his head, knocking him out cold.  
  
"Mousse! I no forgive you for this! Never!" a very familiar female's voice sounded out above the stunned crowd. Everyone looked to see who had spoke. Akane was surpised to see that instead of Shampoo, she was staring at a very angry woman who she knew, but couldn't quite place. Suddenly, the room heaved and she was thrown to the floor as the man beside the angry woman attacked the floor with a single finger, causing it to explode violently, hurling guests every which way.  
  
The Gambler King stood up suddenly and cackled in a high-pitched female's voice. He leaped at the alter and attacked Akane furiously with purple ribbon. Akane did what she could to avoid the blows, but in her cumbersome dress was having little sucsess. She was too busy to notice Pantyhose Taro scaring guests out of the dojo with a gaint spatula he was waving around.  
  
All at once, a ripple shot out from the center of the room, and as it passed over each of the characters in turn Akane nearly screamed. The couple that had instigated everything morphed into an anrgy Shampoo and an even worse looking Ryouga. Taro changed into Ukyo, still swinging her spatula. The Gambler King did the most impressive tranformation into Kodachi, who was still laughing maniacally as she latched her ribbon around Akane's neck and began to squeeze.  
  
And the world lost all color..._  
  
Silently she began to sob. Nabiki quit pacing and Kasumi tightened her embrace.  
  
"That's it," she said gently, "let it all out."  
  
She cried for ten minutes before an explosion threw her and her sisters to the floor.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ranma rounded the last corner and burst into the dining room of the Tendo household. What he saw, however, was an all too familiar scene.  
  
The old ghoul, who had introduced more than her fair share of misery into his life, sat at the table, sipping tea and not saying anything. Even as he came in, she looked at him, but said nothing. A rather abnormally sullen Shampoo sat behind her, eyes downcast. She smiled at him as she caught his gaze, but surprisingly did not move to glomp him. Mousse stood in the corner, casting worried glances at Shampoo, and scowled at Ranma fiercely before returning his attention to his beloved. Soun was crying fountains at the entrance they had made for themselves through the wall. His own dad was patting him on the back and making soothing panda noises.  
  
For a second he balked, this was a scene that he could unerringly match to the beginning of a new conflict in his life. He suddenly found himself envying Ryouga's ability to get lost so easily, at least he had a valid excuse for all the times he managed to miss out on these _wonderful_ moments. But as quickly as the thought entered his mind, it was gone, as the scene before him, though frightningly similar to the ones that always caused him trouble in the past, had a dark undertone this time. Namely, Cologne did not look happy in the least bit.  
  
He sighed and took a seat at the table opposite her, saying nothing.  
  
Shortly, a curious Nabiki entered, slipping into her normal spot next to Cologne, refilling her tea, stealing hard glances at Ranma. He responded with a 'what did I do?' expression, but Nabiki gave no responce. She was closely followed by Kasumi, who moved quickly to her father's side, the look in her eyes clearly calculating the damages. A long pause occured before Akane entered, her eyes red with the stress of...  
  
_She's been crying? I guess Kodachi must have done more damage than I thought..._ He looked, but there was only a small bruise on her neck where Kodachi's ribbon had taken hold. _Uuuh...that's wierd..._ Akane moved, silently and looking at the floor the whole time, to the seat next to Ranma.  
  
Ranma opened his mouth, but finding no words, he closed it again and stared at Cologne, who was looking about the room, taking in all of the people one by one, watching Akane the longest of all, until her gaze ended on Ranma.  
  
Finally, she spoke, addressing everyone at once, "It has come to my attention that certain _events_ have taken place without my knowledge. First off, there was a wedding that no one told me about, which I guess may have been the wisest course of action," Ranma growled, but Cologne ignored it. "Secondly though, Shampoo stole some of my illusion magic without telling me," she sounded calm, but a trace of irritaition seeped into her voice. Somehow Shampoo managed to look ever more cowed than before, her head sinking into her long hair. Cologne continued, "The Amazons have many weapons, but theft and deceit are not among them, a fact that Shampoo," Ranma thought it odd that this was the first time she was not addressing her as grand-daughter, "seemed to have forgotten in her excitment. The only withstanding reason I have not taken her back to China to be judged by the Conseul of Elders is that what she did, followed her only reason for being in this country, marrying Ranma."  
  
There was an awkward silence around the table as Cologne was doing two things completely out of character. First, she was reprimanding Shampoo in front of Ranma and the others, something she had never done before. Even odder, she seemed to be beating around the bush, she had always been quick to the point about anything. Ranma mused.  
  
The initiative, however was snatched up by Nabiki, who posed what was on Ranma's mind, "You didn't come here to tell us that, did you?" Her voice was inquisitive, but demanding.  
  
"As usual Nabiki, you're correct. I did not come here to tell you about Shampoo or talk about the wedding. Instead, I'm here to offer a final solution to this game we've all been patiently playing for the last year and getting nowhere in. When this is over, we will all know for certain who Ranma belongs with. And we will all agree to accept the answer no matter how little we like it." She stared solely at Ranma this time.  
  
Nabiki, again, asked the obvious question, "How?"  
  
Cologne didn't budge. Still looking at Ranma she responded, "A powerful Chinese magic I've kept in check to this day. Utilizing the very forces of Yin-Yang, I can create a magic circle powerful enough to read the fate lines of people. It's as simple as that."  
  
This time, Ranma spoke, "If it were that simple old ghoul, why didn't you do this months ago and save us all this grief?" His tension found its way into his voice. Akane looked up and gave him the most confusing look he had ever seen out of her.  
  
_Today is different..._  
  
"Because, son-in-law, I feared that Shampoo was not the one you were fated to be with." Shampoo looked hurt at this, but again Cologne failed to register anyone but Ranma as she continued, "You've always managed to surround yourself with women that fall in love with you right away." She sipped some tea, "Also, I dread using pre-cognitive magic like this, I feel strongly that to observe fate is to change fate. Changing fate is a dirty business."  
  
This time Kasumi spoke up, "Well, what exactly made you change your mind?"  
  
"In this rare case, I feel that changing fate could only make things better around here. That is, unless you prefer this perpetual state of conflict?"  
  
Skeptical, Nabiki spoke again, "So you're just going to cast a spell, and you'll know who Ranma should marry? That sounds a bit too specific for a magic spell."  
  
"No, not at all. As you say, the spell itself is much more complicated than that. It requires the seven males and eight females closest to him to cast. I would say this list should cover it." She tossed a rolled up parchment at Ranma, who caught it and pocketed it smoothly. Cologne stood up suddenly and montioned to Shampoo, who rose qucikly. "We must depart, look at the list son-in-law, and make your decision. Remember what I am offering you, a final answer, a period to the wild sentence of your life." With that, she and Shampoo left quickly through the hole they had created. Soun let out a sigh, as he had all the figures in his head already doubled for the Chinese pair's exit, and Kasumi looked relieved. Mousse spared a moment to glower at Ranma again, then departed hastily after the other two.  
  
The rest of them just watched Ranma. He suddenly felt very awkward sitting there.  
  
"Er, uh, I'm gonna go take a bath..." he muttered, quickly dashing from the table up the stairs.  
  
Akane only stared after him, a sullen expression on her face.  
  
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Ranma let the warm waters of the bath enrapture him completly, almost falling asleep with the pure relaxation the heat was introducing to his muscles. He recovered quickly however, as he lifted the list out from his clothing and unrolled it. He was curious to see who Colonge thought was closest to him. Oddly, he realized he had already resigned to go through with this.  
  
The first name hit him like a bullet.  
  
_Ryouga_  
  
Odd that she would put him first, the only time they had ever been close was when they locked fists...if that counted. He read the rest of the names slowly.  
  
_Genma_  
  
Well, that made sense.  
  
_Mousse_  
  
He laughed to himself, if Ryouga was there, it made sense that Mousse would be too, but he had been under the impression Cologne would have tried to exclude Mousse.  
  
_Tofu_  
  
Interesting. He couldn't recall a time the good doctor had met the old ghoul.  
  
_Tatewaki!?_  
  
He almost dropped the list into the tub...but it did make some twisted sense. He read on.  
  
_Soun_  
  
Close certainly was the word...  
  
_Happosai_  
  
How pathetic his life must be that the dirty old man was on a list of the people closest to him. He moved his eyes, with great apprehension, to the females Cologne had chosen.  
  
_Shampoo_  
  
There was a shocker.  
  
_Akane_  
  
Huh, he would have sworn she would be listed last.  
  
_Ukyo_  
  
Great, he wasn't going to get out of this without getting hit at least once...  
  
_Nodoka_  
  
He smiled, glad to see his long-astranged mother on the list.  
  
_Kodachi_  
  
He frowned, having to read the name three times to let it sink in. He definately was not getting out of this without getting hit.  
  
_Kasumi_  
  
He had to drag her into this? He balked, not wanting to cause her any problems, having been the only female in Nerima to keep from causing him trouble.  
  
_Nabiki_  
  
He laughed aloud, more than happy to 'repay' Nabiki for all of her previous relationship help. Momentarily, he recalled the time she had become his fiancee and taken him for a loop, telling him she loved him and what-not, just to make a profit. A devilish grin broke out on his face.  
  
_Cologne_  
  
He sighed again, the grin vanishing, supposing that was the truth. He just prayed that the gods didn't think it would be a good laugh to pair them up. The very thought made him shake.  
  
He left the bath shortly, knowing exactly who he had to talk to.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The others had all retired to their rooms, stressed by the events of the day behind them. Kasumi, however, was still in the Tendo living room, moving fluidly, cleaning the damage Cologne and Shampoo had caused. Behind her, the twilight rushed into the room, creating a eerie atmosphere that fit the house's new mood perfectly. Kasumi failed to see Ranma enter.  
  
Ranma walked to where she was working and began to lift some of the heavier pieces of wall away from the house. She noticed him, but said nothing, and they both continued to work in silence, until, after a half hour of labor, the room looked as it had before, not counting the enormous hole in the wall.  
  
Smiling, but still not acknowledging Ranma's presence, Kasumi moved into the kitchen, returning shortly with two cups of steaming tea she carried on a tray. Placing the tray on the table, she knelt and began sipping from one of the cups.  
  
Waiting no longer than a moment, Ranma sat down roughly, facing her from across the table. She said nothing, but offered him his cup, which he accepted wordlessly, and began drinking slowly. Kasumi put her own cup down, and Ranma watched her with interest.  
  
Finally she spoke, "What's on your mind Ranma?" Her expression was confusing to him, she seemed worried about something.  
  
"Uh, well," he replied, "I've decided to accept the old ghoul's offer. My unresolved engagements have brought havoc into this house, sompin' I never wanted to do. I have to end this now that I finally have a chance." He sighed, then continued, "When I think about all of the stress I've caused you and your family..." he trailed off.  
  
"Ranma, I know you better than you think. Underneath that proud, powerful shell, you really just like to make people happy. I've seen it in the past, and I'm certain I'll see it again. You talk a storm to people, but when it comes down to it, you're always worrying about other people. But, you cloud yourself, Ranma." He perked up, both confused at the words and surprised at Kasumi's unnatural forwardness. "You try too hard to look as good as you can to other people, so, in that effort, you tend to look over important details. My sister is exactly the same way."  
  
"I don't understand Kasumi, what does that have to do with me wanting to find a solution?"  
  
She looked a bit wary for a second, but it was gone as soon as he noticed it, "Everything to do with it, Ranma. You could have ended everything a long time ago, not to mention earlier today."  
  
"Huh? How so?"  
  
It was her turn to sigh, before answering him, "You could have gotten married."  
  
"What!? But the wedding was ruined..."  
  
"Because you let it."  
  
He froze in shock, and managed to drop his cup on the floor, shattering it, and spilling its liquid contents on the floor. He scrambled to clean it up, but Kasumi motioned him to be still.  
  
"Ranma, I don't need to see fate lines to know who you belong with, and if you think about it, neither do you. If you could just take a hold of matters, instead of allowing yourself to be swept away in them, this conflict would have been resolved months ago."  
  
"I don't understand, Akane's always..."  
  
Kasumi cut him off, "You didn't come to me to talk about Akane, what is it that you need?"  
  
He balked, actually wanting to talk about Akane, oddly enough, but remembering why he had sought out Kasumi in the first place, he spoke, "I remember when you put together the invitations for everyone to come to the Tendo Christmas Party. The results were stunning, almost all of Nerima was there. Friend or foe, they all showed up. I need you to do something like that again, but only with the people on this list." He handed the rolled up parchment to Kasumi, who looked it over curiously, then unrolled it and read it over. After a few nervous minutes, she looked up and nodded.  
  
"Some of these people will be easy enough, the Kunos and the good doctor for example, but situations have changed since the Christmas party, and I fear I alone won't be able to get all of these people," she bit her lower lip as she read the list again.  
  
"Like who?"  
  
"Well, Akane's the real milestone here, persuade her, and Ryouga, Nabiki, father, and I should follow easily."  
  
"You?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm not convinced this is the answer to your problems, so I won't agree unless she does. I have to know Akane wants this too."  
  
"I see."  
  
"Naturally, Shampoo, Genma, Nodoka, and Cologne are givens."  
  
"Yeah, I imagined."  
  
"Let's see...that leaves Ukyo, Mousse, and Happosai. Shampoo can talk to Mousse, that shouldn't take much work. Ukyo's a bit more though, she's been a wreck since our fathers arranged your marriage again. I suggest you approach her personally."  
  
"Uh-huh, makes sense, and Happy?"  
  
"Well, er, none of us have seen him in a month."  
  
"Sheesh, guess I'll have to find the old fart myself."  
  
"I guess you do, just...don't tell our fathers about it, you intentionally finding their old master might alienate them. They've been so happy since Happy dissapeared."  
  
He rubbed the back of his head, "Good thinking Kasumi, I know there was a reason I came to you, thanks a lot!" He bowed to her and left up the stairs, leaving Kasumi to take care of the mess he had forgotten about.  
  
She smiled as she cleaned.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
He tiptoed softly down the hallway, trying to avoid waking the sleeping household. At Akane's door he rapped softly, but got no response. Regretfully, Ranma decided to wait to ask her tomorrow and opened the door to his room.  
  
Akane looked at him from where she was sitting on the futon. She was considering him with a curious expression on her face, and a searching look in her eyes had replaced the red from earlier. Behind her, Genma slept peacefully, snuggled close in Nodoka's arms. Once again he felt the warmth at seing his parents together, having missed out on it as a child.  
  
Without a word, Akane stood up and put a finger to his lips, motioning for him to follow as she slipped past him and entered her room. He followed, closing the door gently behind him. Seeing she had taken a seat on her bed he sat saddleback in the chair by her desk. He met her gaze, attempting to signal that she had his complete attention.  
  
There was a short pause as they just looked at each other. Then Akane spoke, "Ranma, let's do this." She sounded embarassed about it.  
  
"You...don't...mind?"  
  
"Naw," she smiled weakly, "We need to know, don't we?"  
  
"Akane..."  
  
"I'm serious, let's do it. Lemme see that list." She held her hand out with ernest.  
  
He gave it her, "Uh, yeah, we need those people..."  
  
Her eyes got wider with every name, "Kuno? Wait, dad!? Kodachi and...my sisters?" she looked at Ranma questioningly.  
  
"Uh, yeah, it makes sense if you think about it."  
  
"Yeah, so it does. Lesse, I can handle my dad and my sisters, and Kuno I guess..."  
  
"Ryouga while you're at it," he posed.  
  
She blinked, "Huh? Why me?"  
  
"He's well...he listens to you."  
  
"I suppose," she didn't sound convinced.  
  
"I'll take care of the rest, let's try to have everyone gathered in a week, alright?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"And Akane..."  
  
"Uh-huh?"  
  
"Thanks," he said as he left, not noticing her blush.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
**Author's Notes**  
First off, thanks for the feedback. I'm listening. If it doesn't look like I took any of your advice, it's only because I had this chapter written already. I have nothing of the second chapter yet though.  
COMPLETE SIDE NOTE: Do not see League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you'd be doing yourself a favor. AIM: **Endflare**


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